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Several wrecks reported as road conditions worsen

Rescue personnel put sand on the road to get better traction as they take an accident victim from a vehicle to an ambulance on Signal Hill Road Friday afternoon after the roads became covered with ice.

Patrick Sullivan/Times-News

From staff, wire reports

Published: Friday, January 25, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 9:02 p.m.

Update:

Freezing rain and sleet closed schools and caused hundreds of wrecks across North Carolina Friday.

In Henderson County, the number of wrecks began picking up at about 1 p.m. as roads became slick. Several vehicles slid into ditches, and emergency responders reported that some roads were impassible for two-wheel drive vehicles. Other roads were reported to be "solid sheets of ice."

Signal Hill Road at Thompson Road, Crest Road from East Blue Ridge Road to Oak Grove Road, and Mount Airy Street near Old Spartanburg Road were closed for a time early Friday afternoon.

From 1:30 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. alone, Dispatch fielded more than a dozen calls about accidents on roads including on Crest Road, I-26 near the Green River bridge, Clear Creek Road, North Clear Creek Road, Oak Grove Road, Asheville Highway, Airport Road and Upward Road.

At least four vehicles were reported to have gone over embankments or into ditches is a 15-minute time period shortly after 2 p.m. The incidents occurred on McKinney Road in Etowah, South Mills River Road, Finley Cove Road and Tracy Grove Road.

"We have had numerous calls," said N.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Don Christensen, who added that "all roads" are bad. "We're receiving calls from one end of the county to the other. The same is true now for Transylvania and Polk counties. It's widespread."

Few injuries were reported, however. The onslaught of calls appeared to die down after 2:30 p.m., although wrecks continued to be reported.

"We had a little peak about 2 o'clock where we had quite a few auto accidents, but there seems to have been a significant warm up in the last hour," said Rocky Hyder, director of Henderson County Emergency Services.

At a few minutes before 3 p.m., he said that only one accident was showing up from the 911 call center. He added that the roads "seem to be better" than what they were.

"From what we can glean," he said, the roads seem to have "improved considerably since the heavier rain moved over us."

The amount of calls for officers to help pets trapped outside or deal with other animal issues have “not been like it normally is” when bad weather rolls in, said Deputy T. Phillips of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Animal Enforcement Division.

“Normally when we get bad weather, we do get the phone calls,” he said.

But the department is limited by ordinances to what it can and cannot enforce when the calls come in. A pet left outside in the cold may not be against the law, but pet owners are encouraged to bring their furry friends inside when the temperatures drop.

Henderson, Polk and Transylvania county public schools are closed Friday in anticipation of the weather.

The icy conditions snarled traffic across much of western and central North Carolina. The Department of Transportation reported traffic moving under 30 mph on much of Interstate 40 from Winston-Salem to Raleigh and Interstate 85 from Charlotte to Durham.

Charlotte Police were responding to dozens of calls of cars overturned as the heaviest freezing rain moved through around 3 p.m.

The storm has caused no deaths, and only scattered power outages have been reported.

Today's forecast for Hendersonville calls for mostly sunny skies and a high near 49 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday's high will be 44 degrees, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees Monday and up to 60 degrees Tuesday, the NWS says.

<p class="bold allcaps">Update:</p>
<p>Freezing rain and sleet closed schools and caused hundreds of wrecks across North Carolina Friday. </p><p>In Henderson County, the number of wrecks began picking up at about 1 p.m. as roads became slick. Several vehicles slid into ditches, and emergency responders reported that some roads were impassible for two-wheel drive vehicles. Other roads were reported to be "solid sheets of ice."</p><p>Signal Hill Road at Thompson Road, Crest Road from East Blue Ridge Road to Oak Grove Road, and Mount Airy Street near Old Spartanburg Road were closed for a time early Friday afternoon. </p><p>From 1:30 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. alone, Dispatch fielded more than a dozen calls about accidents on roads including on Crest Road, I-26 near the Green River bridge, Clear Creek Road, North Clear Creek Road, Oak Grove Road, Asheville Highway, Airport Road and Upward Road. </p><p>At least four vehicles were reported to have gone over embankments or into ditches is a 15-minute time period shortly after 2 p.m. The incidents occurred on McKinney Road in Etowah, South Mills River Road, Finley Cove Road and Tracy Grove Road.</p><p>"We have had numerous calls," said N.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Don Christensen, who added that "all roads" are bad. "We're receiving calls from one end of the county to the other. The same is true now for Transylvania and Polk counties. It's widespread."</p><p>Few injuries were reported, however. The onslaught of calls appeared to die down after 2:30 p.m., although wrecks continued to be reported.</p><p>"We had a little peak about 2 o'clock where we had quite a few auto accidents, but there seems to have been a significant warm up in the last hour," said Rocky Hyder, director of Henderson County Emergency Services.</p><p>At a few minutes before 3 p.m., he said that only one accident was showing up from the 911 call center. He added that the roads "seem to be better" than what they were.</p><p>"From what we can glean," he said, the roads seem to have "improved considerably since the heavier rain moved over us."</p><p>The amount of calls for officers to help pets trapped outside or deal with other animal issues have “not been like it normally is” when bad weather rolls in, said Deputy T. Phillips of the Henderson County Sheriff's Animal Enforcement Division.</p><p>“Normally when we get bad weather, we do get the phone calls,” he said. </p><p>But the department is limited by ordinances to what it can and cannot enforce when the calls come in. A pet left outside in the cold may not be against the law, but pet owners are encouraged to bring their furry friends inside when the temperatures drop.</p><p>Henderson, Polk and Transylvania county public schools are closed Friday in anticipation of the weather. </p><p>The icy conditions snarled traffic across much of western and central North Carolina. The Department of Transportation reported traffic moving under 30 mph on much of Interstate 40 from Winston-Salem to Raleigh and Interstate 85 from Charlotte to Durham.</p><p>Charlotte Police were responding to dozens of calls of cars overturned as the heaviest freezing rain moved through around 3 p.m.</p><p>The storm has caused no deaths, and only scattered power outages have been reported. </p><p>Today's forecast for Hendersonville calls for mostly sunny skies and a high near 49 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday's high will be 44 degrees, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees Monday and up to 60 degrees Tuesday, the NWS says.</p>